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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · lean · sharp · face · bound · cabinet · chair · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bound — certain
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. face — to confront
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lean — thin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. shower — rain
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com